Monday, November 20, 2017 — DT 28508 (Published Saturday, November 18, 2017)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28508
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 17, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28508]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By pommers
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, November 18, 2017 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

I found this puzzle very difficult — certainly at the upper boundary of three star territory, if not edging into four star range. The setter is not identified although there is no shortage of guesswork among the commentariat (see box) on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

Not Invented There

Commentariat is a word sometimes used to collectively describe those who post comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. When I first saw this term used on Big Dave's blog, I thought it was a newly coined word — and I suspect that the person who used it may have thought likewise. However, I was to discover that commentariat[5,10] is a North American* term for members of the news media considered as a class ⇒ the commentariat exuded recriminations when the air attacks were called off. * Despite being characterized by Oxford Dictionaries as a North American term, the word does not appear in any of my US dictionaries, but is found in two British dictionaries. Commentariat is a portmanteau formed by blending 'commentary' and 'proletariat'.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues. All-in-one (&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions are marked with a dotted underline. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Daffy // bird? (6)

The cuckoo^[5] is a long-tailed, medium-sized bird, typically with a grey or brown back and barred or pale underparts. Many cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of small songbirds. The best known of the many species of cuckoos is the Eurasian cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) the male of which has a well-known two-note call.

4a   Eurasian city, // Byzantium’s capital embraced by sultan, I gathered (8)

Istanbul^[5] is a port in Turkey on the Bosporus, lying partly in Europe, partly in Asia. Formerly the Roman city of Constantinople (330–1453), it was built on the site of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium. It was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 and was the capital of Turkey from that time until 1923.

9a   Religious teachings, plain // coarse (6)

RI^[10] is the abbreviation for religious instruction which in England refers to the teaching of a particular religion^*.

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^* According to Wikipedia, "In secular usage, religious education^[7] is the teaching of a particular religion (although in England the term religious instruction would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with religious education referring to teaching about religions in general) ..."

10a   Star // reading different script, ultimately (3,5)

A red giant^[5] is a very large star of high luminosity and low surface temperature. Red giants are thought to be in a late stage of evolution when no hydrogen remains in the core to fuel nuclear fusion.

12a   Friend // friendly, though not at first (4)

Pally^[3,4,11] is an informal term denoting on friendly or familiar terms.

13a   Question // cook (5)

14a   Queen // in Italian necklace (4)

Anne^[7] (1665–1714) became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state, the United Kingdom of Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.

17a   Author, // William the Conqueror’s postman? (6,6)

William I^[5] (c.1027–1087), who reigned 1066–1087, was the first Norman king of England; known as William the Conqueror. He invaded England and defeated Harold II at the Battle of Hastings (1066). He introduced Norman institutions and customs (including feudalism) and instigated the Domesday Book.

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Norman Mailer^[5] (1923–2007) was an American novelist and essayist. Notable novels: The Naked and the Dead (1948) and The Presidential Papers (1963).

20a   Runs 101-200? One /is/ the best! (6,2,4)

Ton^[5] is an informal British term for a hundred, in particular a speed of 100 mph, a score of 100 or more, or a sum of £100 ⇒ he scored 102 not out, his third ton of the tour.

23a   One’s inclined // to use force and power (4)

"power" = P (show explanation )

In physics, P^[10] is a symbol used to represent power [among other things] in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

24a   Made of metal, // little boxes never for opening (5)

25a   Kerfuffle /in/ prison (4)

Stir^[5] is an informal term for prison [on both sides of the Atlantic] ⇒ I’ve spent twenty-eight years in stir.

28a   Plant // where flowers grow, perfect in recess (8)

"perfect" = AI (show explanation )

A1^[4][5] or A-one^[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

hide explanation

The use of recess^[1] as a reversal indicator is based on it meaning (as a noun) a going back or withdrawing.

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The gardenia^[5] is any of several species of tree or shrub of warm climates, with large, fragrant white or yellow flowers.

29a   Two // nil in cup, leaders in luck eventually (6)

30a   Liberal or Attlee // to put up with (8)

Scratching the Surface

Clement Attlee[5], 1st Earl Attlee (1883–1967) was a British Labour statesman, Prime Minister 1945–51. His term saw the creation of the modern welfare state and the nationalization of major industries. As a political entity, the Liberal Party[5] is a spent force in the UK (see more ). The Liberal Party in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats. However, a small Liberal Party still exists although it has no representation in the UK Parliament, no Members of the European Parliament (MEP), no members of the Scottish Parliament, nor any members of the National Assembly for Wales.[7] hide explanation

31a   Artist — // neither winner nor loser? (6)

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers comments "This is possibly a double definition". I do see it as a double definition but with the second definition edging toward the cryptic side; therefore the dotted underline.

Down

1d   Death /in/ short, a terrible sin (8)

2d   They’ll fix up pumps and platforms — with mules? (8)

3d   Greasy // ornamental mat, top wiped (4)

5d   Engrossing // period obligatory (12)

6d   Mythical ship // moving slowly, heading off (4)

Largo^[5] is a musical direction meaning in a slow tempo and dignified in style.

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In Greek mythology, the Argo^[10] was the ship in which Jason sailed in search of the Golden Fleece.

7d   Clever // article in the main (6)

The main^[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.

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The briny^[5] is an informal British term for the sea ⇒ the vortices that suck ships to the bottom of the briny.

8d   Bits of rubbish, // little ones? (6)

11d   Jumper // is important when shivering around end of April (12)

Scratching the Surface

In the surface reading, the word "jumper" refers to an article of clothing — but not the one that North Americans would think of. In Britain, a jumper[5] is a knitted garment typically with long sleeves, worn over the upper body (in North American parlance, a sweater — in particular, a pullover). The dress that those of us in North America know as a jumper, the Brits would call a pinafore[5] (a collarless sleeveless dress worn over a blouse or [British] jumper [i.e., North American sweater]). Thus, if a British lass were to wear a pinafore over her jumper and a North American gal were to wear a jumper over her sweater, they would be dressed identically. The terms sweater[5] and pullover[5] would also appear to be in common use in the UK. Although the definitions given for sweater in most British dictionaries would seem to imply that the term applies only to a pullover, Collins English Dictionary defines a cardigan[10] to be a knitted jacket or sweater with buttons up the front.

15d   African carrier /has/ me in a state (5)

16d   Devil /in/ protest, ending in heaven (5)

Here and There

Demo[5] (abbreviation for demonstration) is a chiefly British* term for a public meeting or march protesting against something or expressing views on a political issue ⇒ a peace demo. * North Americans would use the unabbreviated term demonstration to describe such an event. Demo[5] is also used in the UK in the sense that we know it in North America meaning: a demonstration of a product or technique ⇒ a cookery [cooking] demo.  a version of something such as computer software produced to demonstrate its capabilities or for use as a trial ⇒ there is a demo to try before you buy. a recording made to demonstrate the capabilities of a musical group or performer or as preparation for a full recording ⇒ (i) we recorded a three-song demo; (ii) a demo track.

18d   Boxer /getting/ up to wash potty (8)

As an anagram indicator, potty^[5] is an informal British term meaning mad or crazy ⇒ he's driving me potty.

Here and There

The first time that I encountered the word "southpaw" in a British crossword puzzle, knowing it as a baseball term, I wondered if this might not be an Americanism. However, the term seems to have travelled to the UK and been accepted there via its adopted sport of boxing. It is interesting to note that two American dictionaries[3,11] list only the baseball usage and make no mention of the boxing usage. On the other hand, two out of three* British dictionaries[2,5,10] — while acknowledging its etymological roots in baseball — refer only to its boxing usage. * The third British Dictionary, Oxford, has added the baseball usage since I first wrote about this word pointing out its absence in that publication. I know it would be presumptuous in the extreme to think that the editors of the dictionary read my blog — but it is not the first time that an entry has changed following a comment here. The term southpaw[3] as slang for a left-handed baseball pitcher comes from the practice in baseball of arranging the diamond with the batter facing east to avoid the afternoon sun. A left-handed pitcher facing west would therefore have his pitching arm toward the south of the diamond.

19d   Doubly hard part of corn, // I agree! (4,4)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

H^[2,5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

hide explanation

21d   Horror // film’s beginning satisfactorily (6)

Right^[5] is an adverb meaning in the required or necessary way; in other words, satisfactorily ⇒ nothing's going right for me this season.

22d   Test before noon /is/ not ethical (6)

26d   Raise // tail (4)

27d   Swine — // dull person, it’s said? (4)

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon